peal
[ peel ]
/ pil /
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noun
verb (used with object)
to sound loudly and sonorously: to peal the bells of a tower.
Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.
verb (used without object)
to sound forth in a peal; resound.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of peal
1350–1400; Middle English pele, akin to peal to beat, strike (now dial.)
OTHER WORDS FROM peal
in·ter·peal, verb (used with object)un·pealed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH peal
peal , peelDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use peal in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for peal (1 of 2)
peal1
/ (piːl) /
noun
a loud prolonged usually reverberating sound, as of bells, thunder, or laughter
bell-ringing a series of changes rung in accordance with specific rules, consisting of not fewer than 5000 permutations in a ring of eight bells
(not in technical usage) the set of bells in a belfry
verb
(intr) to sound with a peal or peals
(tr) to give forth loudly and sonorously
(tr) to ring (bells) in peals
Word Origin for peal
C14 pele, variant of apele appeal
British Dictionary definitions for peal (2 of 2)
peal2
/ (piːl) /
noun
a dialect name for a grilse or a young sea trout
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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